SUN PHOTO BY ELAINE ALLEN-EMRICHSouthbound motorists were detoured Wednesday off Interstate 75 at River Road, clogging U.S. 41 through North Port with traffic to the Sumter Boulevard detour all day.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY ABC-7Florida Department of Transportation workers assess damage to the Ponce De Leon overpass in North Port Wednesday after a dump truck with its bed raised struck it in the early morning hours.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY DANA SPEERThis dump truck driven by Bonnie D. Ramsingh of North Miami slammed into the Ponce De Leon bridge on Interstate 75 southbound at 2:35 a.m. Wednesday.

Bonnie D. Ramsingh

PHOTO PROVIDED BY AMANDA NELSONSouthbound traffic on Interstate 75 was described as a "parking lot" late Wednesday morning, backed up to Jacaranda Boulevard. It took some motorists almost an hour to get to River Road, and another 45 minutes on U.S. 41 to the Sumter Boulevard detour.

SUN PHOTO BY ELAINE ALLEN-EMRICHThe Ponce De Leon Boulevard bridge in North Port was blocked to local traffic Wednesday.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY ABC-7Florida Department of Transportation workers assess damage to the Interstate 75 overpass at mile marker 184 in North Port Wednesday.

SUN PHOTO BY ELAINE ALLEN-EMRICHA Sarasota County Sheriff's deputy races around traffic to go to one of several crashes on U.S. 41 caused by the backup.

By DREW WINCHESTER

Staff Writer

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NORTH PORT — Thousands of motorists were delayed by hours Wednesday following an early morning, single-vehicle accident in which a dump truck struck the Ponce De Leon Boulevard overpass in the southbound lanes of Interstate 75, causing significant damage to a beam.

Traffic was rerouted down River Road through North Port to Sumter Boulevard, but that detour again was rerouted to Toledo Blade Boulevard after a vehicle caught fire at Sumter and Price boulevards late Wednesday afternoon.

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